Food Court

Color additive (white pigment)

Titanium dioxide

Also known as: CI 77891, Titanium dioxide, Titanium(IV) oxide, TiO2 (dioxide), E171, TiO2, Titania, E 171

Titanium dioxide is a bright white inorganic pigment (food-additive code E171) used to whiten and opacify foods such as candies, chewing gum, frosting, sauces, and supplement coatings. It is also widely used in cosmetics, paints, and sunscreens.

Is Titanium dioxide safe? Is it banned or restricted? Below is the cited record — every claim linked to the regulator, study, or report that made it.

The charges against Titanium dioxide

3 findings
Exhibit 01
Warning

Texas Senate Bill 25 (89th Legislature, 2025) lists this substance among 44 ingredients that trigger a mandatory consumer warning label under Texas Health & Safety Code Sec. 431.0815. The label reads: "WARNING: This product contains an ingredient that is not recommended for human consumption by the appropriate authority in Australia, Canada, the European Union, or the United Kingdom." It applies to food labels developed or copyrighted on or after January 1, 2027. On February 11, 2026 the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas preliminarily enjoined enforcement against the plaintiff trade groups and their members; Texas appealed to the Fifth Circuit on March 5, 2026.

Named in Texas SB 25 (2025) among 44 ingredients requiring a consumer warning label: "not recommended for human consumption by the appropriate authority in Australia, Canada, the European Union, or the United Kingdom." The requirement applies to labels developed or copyrighted on or after Jan 1, 2027, and was preliminarily enjoined by a federal court (W.D. Tex., Feb 11 2026); Texas’s appeal is pending at the Fifth Circuit.

Tier 1 · RegulatoryUS-TXTexas Legislature / Texas DSHS· 2025-06-22(opens source in a new tab)
Exhibit 02
Warning

The European Commission has just banned titanium dioxide/TiO2 (also known as E171) as a food additive ... EFSA does not rule out genotoxicity concerns, meaning that there is a possibility that the use of titanium dioxide as food additive might cause DNA or chromosomal damage.

The European Commission banned titanium dioxide (E171) as a food additive in the EU (Regulation (EU) 2022/63), citing EFSA's inability to rule out genotoxicity; use was prohibited from February 2022 with sell-through to August 2022.

Tier 1 · RegulatoryEUEuropean Commission, Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (SANTE)· 2022-01-18(opens source in a new tab)
Exhibit 03
Warning

EFSA concluded in 2021 that titanium dioxide (E171) can no longer be considered safe when used as a food additive - a concern for genotoxicity could not be ruled out and no safe daily intake could be set. The EU banned it as a food additive in 2022.

EFSA concluded in 2021 that titanium dioxide (E171) can no longer be considered safe when used as a food additive - a concern for genotoxicity could not be ruled out and no safe daily intake could be set. The EU banned it as a food additive in 2022.

Tier 1 · RegulatoryEUEuropean Food Safety Authority (EFSA)· 2021-05-06(opens source in a new tab)

Food Court reports publicly available findings from regulatory bodies, peer-reviewed research, and journalism. We cite every claim. We are not your doctor — we are a search engine for what's known about your food. Follow the links to the original sources.